Are All Seats Safe?All car seats rated by NHTSA meet Federal Safety Standards & strict crash performance standards. While all rated seats are safe, they do differ in their ease of use in four basic catagories:

No supplemental sizing information is given on the labels. No indication of correct harness height relative to the child is given on the labels. The belt path is labeled only on one side. The labels do not explain how to use LATCH.

Evaluation of Instructions

The instruction manual was not attached to the seat when the seat was removed from the packaging. The instruction manual storage may be difficult to find and use. The section describing vehicle seat belt types is incomplete and may be missing important information. The manual doesn't show how to remove LATCH attachments from storage.

Securing the Child

The seat was not set up for the smallest occupant when it was removed from the packaging. A headhugger or body pillow blocks the harness slots from being visible. The harness must be rethreaded to adjust height for the child's growth as well as for reassembly after cleaning. The LATCH belt must be rerouted to convert the restraint to this mode of use from another mode.

Installation Features

It may be uncomfortable for larger hands to route the seat belt or LATCH belt through the belt path. Interference is possible between the crotch buckle and the seat belt when routing for installation. A printed/molded line is present on the restraint that must be leveled to the ground. There are less than three levels of recline available for this mode of use. The car seat is equipped with hook-style LATCH attachments which may require twisting to remove from the lower anchors in the vehicle. The storage location for the LATCH belt is not obvious and may be overlooked.